Cooking machine

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an improved, simplified apparatus for rapidly cooking food in heated water with the assistance of increased pressure that provides the benefits of improved stirring capabilities, increased simplicity of the apparatus, and improved self-cleaning capabilities.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/785,509, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,652, filed on Feb. 16, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus for rapidly cooking foodin heated water with the assistance of increased pressure.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

The relevant art teaches several automatic apparatuses for rapidlycooking, with increased pressure, doses of pasta in a relatively shorttime period. Generally, such automatic apparatuses are designed to cookpastas in a two-step process. The pasta is first exposed tohigh-temperature, high-pressure water for a brief period of time. Thepasta is then exposed to heated water at a pressure and temperature thatis lower than that which is used during the first stage of the cookingcycle to allow the pasta to continue cooking, and to absorb anappropriate amount of water. After the second stage of the cookingcycle, the pasta is then separated from the water. Once separated, thepasta is ready for consumption.

The apparatuses taught in the relevant art have several drawbacks. Whilesome apparatuses are designed to allow an influx of water into the firstcooking chamber to stir the pasta being cooked, this frequently is notsufficient. As a result, individual pieces of pasta tend to adhere toeach other. Additionally, due to the apparatuses' enclosed design, theyare difficult to clean. While it is possible to run a cooking cyclewithout the pasta to flush the apparatus with water, simply filling theapparatus with water, without more, does not sufficiently remove foodresidue from the interior of the apparatus. An improved apparatus thatwill alleviate these problems is desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a view of a process diagram according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of the presentinvention, with the exterior panels partially shown;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a cooking stack according to anembodiment of he present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a cooking chamberaccording to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-section of a cooking stack according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The apparatus of the present invention is capable of cooking virtuallyany food product that may be cooked using overheated water and steam.Such foods include pastas, grains, vegetables, prepared frozen foods,seafood, and meats. The invention may be made in larger sizes toaccommodate industrial amounts of food, and in smaller sizes to preparesmaller quantities of food.

Intake water that is used with the present invention may come from anysuitable supply, such as a community water system. In the preferredembodiment of the present invention, the intake water is put through awater filter and a water softener prior to entering the main body of thepresent invention. This helps to ensure regular operation and reducesservice and maintenance costs. Water entering the present invention maypass through an intake line pressure switch 32. This switch 32 ensuresthat pump 20 does not receive an inrush of water atgreater-than-expected pressures.

The apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention maybe viewed as composed of essentially 4 components, the combination ofwhich will be referred to as the apparatus: the boiler; the cookingstack or system; the programmable logic controller (PLC); and variousaccessories. The boiler primarily provides overheated water to thecooking system. The cooking stack is primarily composed of a cookingchamber 46, where the food is initially exposed to pressurized, heatedwater, and a conditioning chamber 38 where the food may absorbadditional water and flavorings. The PLC may be a standard industrycontrol device that is capable of reading electrical signals andgenerating outputs. The accessories include items that are required tomanage water, steam, raw and cooked product, and perform the cycle in asuitable manner. Such items include, but are not limited to, solenoidvalves, water pumps, pressure switches, drain lines, and a strainer.

FIG. 1 illustrates a view of a process diagram according to anembodiment of the present invention. The boiler 10 is configured toproduce heated, pressurized water. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, this water is preferably heated to a temperature between 160and 200 degrees Celsius, and pressurized to a pressure between 8 and 14bar. In order to produce such heat and pressure, the boiler 10 isequipped with at least one heater 11. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, as depicted in FIG. 1, there is a plurality of heaters 11.Preferably, such heaters are metal-clad electrical resistance heaters;however, any appropriate heater as is known in the art may be used.Water enters the boiler 10 through inlet line 100 and leaves the boilerthrough outlet lines 101. The inlet line 100 and outlet lines 101 mayeach have valves as required to control fluid flow. Water is supplied tothe boiler 10 through inlet line 100 by a pump, such as positivedisplacement pump 20, or any other pump as is known in the art. Thepositive displacement pump 20 may supply water to the boiler 10 atmoderate pressure (2 to 4 bar).

The volume of the boiler 10 may vary depending on the intendedproduction capacity of the apparatus of the present invention. In apreferred embodiment of the present invention, the boiler 10 holdsapproximately 6 liters of water.

As noted above, the level switch 13 operates to maintain the water levelin the boiler 10. When the water in the boiler 10 falls below a certainlevel, level switch 13 may operate to activate the positive displacementpump 20 and open valve 16 and check valve 18. While such valves may beany appropriate valve as is known in the art, they are preferablysolenoid valves.

There may be an additional check valve 18 that may operate to preventhot boiler water from reaching the displacement pump 20 and causingdamage if the boiler feed valve 16 fails to open. The temperature of thewater inside boiler 10, is maintained at a set temperature by means of atemperature sensor 12. This temperature sensor 12 may be installedinside the boiler. This temperature sensor 12 may provide continuous orperiodic readings of the water temperature. Preferably, the temperatureis maintained above 100° C., and most preferably the water temperatureis maintained at 180° C.

The pressure in the supply lines, the water level and temperature in theboiler 10, and he flow of the water through the valves and other controlprocedures may be controlled by he PLC. Specifically, for example, eachtime that water is withdrawn from the boiler 10 to begin the cookingcycle, the central processing unit or other suitable device restores thewater, temperature and pressure automatically.

The programmable logic controller (PLC) (not shown) uses the temperaturereading from the temperature sensor 12 to maintain the previouslyselected temperature in the boiler 10 by controlling the power going tothe heaters 11. For the purposes of this description of the presentinvention, it is presumed that any embodiment of the present inventionwould include a power source and all wires, connections, interfaces andpower systems necessary to allow the system to interface with the PLC.The PLC may be made accessible to the user at a control box, such ascontrol box 62 (See FIG. 2).

As show in FIG. 2, the apparatus of the present invention may be encasedin an exterior casing (not numbered). This casing serves to contain thesystem, and may provide some insulation. Such casing may have a frame60.

As shown in FIG. 1, the boiler 10 may be equipped with several featuresthat serve to ensure first that the boiler 10 will maintain an adequatesupply of heated, pressurized water and, secondly, that the boiler 10does not become over-pressurized. Such over-pressurization could resultin rupturing of the system or even explosion of the boiler 10. In apreferred embodiment of the present invention, there is a level switch13 that measures the water level in the boiler 10, and sends signals tothe PLC when there is sufficient (or excess) water in the boiler 10, andwhen water needs to be added. There is also a thermocouple temperaturesensor 12. Additionally, there may be a pressure switch 30 thatinterrupts the power going to the heaters 11 and pump 20 if the boilerpressure exceeds a preset pressure threshold may be included.Alternatively, or additionally, there may be a relief valve 15 which mayrelease excess pressure from boiler 10 when the pressure inside theboiler 10 reaches a preset pressure into a line which will route thesteam, water and/or air through the system and eventually to the driptray 52. If this relief valve 15 is used in conjunction with thepressure switch 30, the preset pressure should be is higher than thepressure at which the pressure switch 30 is set. In this situation wherethe two safety devices are used in conjunction, the relief valve 15 actsas a backup system in the case the pressure switch 30 fails.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the entire system isinsulated in order to minimize heat losses. Such insulation may be anyappropriate insulation as is known in the art.

The cooking stack, which may be seen in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 5,is designed to cycle a measured, predetermined amount of food through atwo stage cooking process. The food is first exposed to heated,pressurized, water in a cooking chamber 46, then passed to aconditioning chamber 38 where it may absorb additional water andseasonings, if desired. These seasonings may be initially placed intothe system with the food product as it enters the cooking chamber.Alternatively, there may be an opening (not shown) in the conditioningchamber through which a user may add seasonings before the heated waterand food enters.

The cooking stack is generally composed of a plurality of parts that arealigned in a liner, and preferably vertical, manner. As shown in thefigures in varying detail, there is a funnel 34 which leads to themounting plate 43. This funnel 34 is preferably coupled to the mountingplate 43. There is also a cooking chamber 46 located beneath the funnel,in which the product to be cooked is first exposed to the heated,pressurized water. The cooking chamber 46, has an upper flange 45, whichupper flange is designed to be a swirl flange in the embodiment of thepresent invention shown in FIG. 4, and a lower flange 47. An upper ballvalve 21 and seal plate 44 are located between the mounting plate 43 andthe cooking chamber swirl flange 45. There is also a vent valve 27,which may be a solenoid valve, that is associated with the cookingchamber 46 to permit the release of pressure from the cooking chamber46. Such release of pressure may be associated with anover-pressurization of the cooking chamber 46, with a desired agitationof the cooking food, or with the transfer of food from the cookingchamber 46 to the conditioning chamber 38.

The cooking chamber 46 may be located directly below the cooking chamberswirl flange 45. The cooking chamber 46 may be tube-like in shape, asshown in the figures. However, the cooking chamber 46 may take any shapethat permits the ready flow of water and material that is being cookedfrom the cooking chamber 46 to a conditioning chamber 38.

The cooking chamber 46 is prepared for operation by closing the lowerball valve 22 and opening the upper ball valve 21. The upper ball valvemay be performed by an upper ball valve actuator 40, while the lowerball valve may be performed by a lower ball valve actuator 41. Theopening and closing of the upper ball valve 21 and the lower ball valve22 may be controlled by the PLC, or may be designed so that they may bemanually opened. Such manual manipulation may be included in oneembodiment of the present invention as a safety feature, since it allowsa user to bypass the PLC in case the PLC fails to operate appropriately.

Uncooked food is fed through the funnel 34 and into the cooking chamber46. Movement of the uncooked food through the funnel 34 and into thecooking chamber 46 may be controlled by the opening and/or closing ofthe upper ball valve 21 and the force of gravity. The upper ball valve21 is then closed, and hot, pressurized water is allowed to enter thebottom of the cooking chamber 46 through the cooking chamber inlet line57 until it covers the food to be cooked. Inlet line 57 preferably feedsthe heated, pressurized water into the bottom of cooking chamber 46.This prevents linear pasta and other elongated foods from being brokenby the force of the inrush of overheated pressurized water into thecooking chamber 46, stirs the food being cooked, and facilitates evencooking.

The flow of the hot, pressurized water may be controlled by a valve 24,which may be a solenoid valve, to ensure that the cooking chamber 46receives sufficient water, yet does not receive too much water. Thecooking chamber 46 should be sized such that once it has received thefood and the hot, pressurized water, there should be only a small amountof air in the cooking chamber. Due to gravity, the food being cooked isgenerally located in the lower portion of the cooking chamber 46, andshould be generally covered by the high temperature water.

The upper ball valve 21 and lower ball valve 22 provide a high pressureseal that prevents water and/or steam from escaping during the cookingcycle. Additionally, the cooking chamber 46 is equipped with a pressureswitch 31 that prevents the opening of both the upper ball valve 21 andlower ball valve 22 if there is a high pressure in the cooking chamber46. This safety feature prevents high temperature water from escapingfrom the cooking chamber 46 during the cooking cycle.

There is also a thermocouple 39 attached to the exterior of the cookingchamber 46. This provides temperature feedback to the PLC. Based on thisinformation, the PLC may add heat to the cooking chamber 46 by openingvalve 24 and allowing heated, pressurized water to flow into the cookingchamber 46. Alternatively, the PLC may reduce the heat in the cookingchamber 46 by opening the vent valve 27 and allowing air, steam andheated water to escape from the cooking chamber 46.

During the time that the food is located in the cooking chamber 46, itis desirable to agitate the food to promote uniform cooking and minimizethe food's tendency to adhere to itself This may be done while the valve24 is closed by venting a small amount of pressure through the ventvalve 27 that is associated with the cooking chamber 46. The reductionin pressure will cause the high temperature, pressurized water in thecooking chamber to boil, thereby agitating the food. Further agitationmay be provided by briefly reopening the cooking chamber fed valve 24after the venting step to allow for an influx of heated, pressurizedwater. This will also restore some of the heat and pressure that waslost during the venting agitation step. The PLC of the present may bepre-programmed to perform these steps periodically, or almostcontinuously throughout the time that the food is in the cooking chamber46.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vent valve 27is designed to ensure that air, not water, is primarily venting process.As such, the location of the vent valve 27 is preferably towards the topof the cooking chamber 46 so that steam is vented instead of water.Additionally, flange 45 may be a swirl flange that is equipped with aswirl ring 55. The swirl ring 55, as shown in FIG. 4, may be equippedwith a multiple of slots 104 to provide multiple paths from the cookingchamber 46 to the swirl inlet line 56. The swirl inlet line 56 leads tovent valve 27 as well as to boiler 10. The flow of water through swirlinlet line 56 from the boiler 10 may be controlled by a valve 23. Theremay also be an o-ring or washer 54 located between the upper flange 45and the seal plate 44. The seal plate 44 serves to hold the washer 54and the swirl ring 55 in position so that a seal is formed; this may beis assisted by an o-ring 54 which may be located between the seal plate44 and the swirl flange 45.

The multiple slots 104, which are located towards the top of the cookingchamber 46, serve several purposes. First, they are sized to preventfood from escaping. Secondly, they help to ensure that steam, and notwater, escape through the vent valve 27. Additionally, as describedbelow, they assist in the cleaning cycle of the invention.

The conditioning chamber 38 is located below the cooking chamber 46. Theconditioning chamber 38 has an upper flange 48 and a lower flange 49. Avalve such as a ball valve 22 may be located between the cooking chamberlower flange 47 and the conditioning chamber top flange 48. There mayalso be a slide valve assembly 80 coupled to the lower flange 49 thatmay be opened when it is desired to remove the cooked food from theconditioning chamber. This slide valve assembly 80 may be opened whenthe operator desires to remove the cooked food from the conditioningchamber, or after a predetermined mount of time has elapsed. As shown inFIG. 3, A strainer 50, with optional handle 51 and a drip tray 52 may belocated under the conditioning chamber 38 to receive the cooked foodonce the slide valve assembly 80 is opened and the cooked food isremoved from the conditioning chamber.

Once the food in the cooking chamber 46 has been exposed to the hightemperature pressurized water for a sufficient amount of time, it isready to be transferred to the conditioning chamber 38. Before transfer,the elevated pressure in the cooking chamber 46 is preferably reduced toby opening the vent valve 27. This reduced pressure is preferably from 1to 2 bar. The reduction in pressure reduces the possibility of a highvelocity flow that may damage the food being cooked. The lower ballvalve 22 may then be opened to allow the food and heated water drop intothe conditioning chamber 38. This movement of the water and food may becaused primarily by gravity. The movement of the water and food may bealso caused or facilitated by residual pressure left in the cookingchamber 46 after vent valve 27 has been opened. Such natural movement ofthe water and food product obviates the need for additional pumps, theaction of which may break or otherwise damage the food, to move foodbetween stages. The slide valve assembly 80 at the bottom of theconditioning chamber 38 is preferably closed at the time the lower ballvalve 22 is opened. Valve 22 is then closed after the water and foodproduct have passed into the conditioning chamber 38.

The closing of the ball valve 22 isolates the cooking chamber 46 fromthe conditioning chamber 38. As such, cooking chamber 46 will be readyto repeat the cooking cycle once the ball valve 22 is closed.

If the slide valve assembly 80 was closed at the time the lower ballvalve 22 was opened, the conditioning chamber 38 will retain the food ina pool of heated water, and allow the food to further cook and/or absorbwater. Alternatively, if a conditioning step is not desired by theoperator, the slide valve assembly may remain open at the time the lowerball valve is opened, and the food and water may proceed directly to thestrainer. The texture of the food may be affected by time, temperatureand agitation. To optimize the conditioning effect, the conditioningchamber 38 is equipped with hot and cold water supplies. The cold watermay be supplied by a cold water intake line 26 and may enter theconditioning chamber 38 through the conditioning chamber cold waterinlet 58. The hot water may enter the conditioning chamber 38 through ahot water intake line and valve 25 from the boiler 10 to the hot waterinlet 53. The hot water inlet 53 is preferably located near the bottomof the conditioning chamber 38 so that the blast of heated water willfurther agitate the cooking and conditioning food.

Once the food in the conditioning chamber 38 has been exposed to theheated water for a sufficient amount of time, the slide valve assembly80 may be opened so that the food can drop into the strainer 50. Apreferred embodiment of the invention includes a safety sensor (notshown) that prevents the slide valve assembly 80 from opening when thestrainer 50 is not in place. This prevents the operator of the inventionfrom the burns that may be caused by when the hot food and water spillsout. Additionally, the placement of the strainer 50 prohibits theoperator from placing their hand in the path of the hot food and water.The strainer 50 may also be retained by a latch assembly 61 (see FIG. 2)that locks the strainer 50 in position and releases only after excesswater has drained from the cooked food.

Once the latch assembly 61 unlocks, the strainer 50 may be removed, andthe contents may be accessible for their intended use (individualservings, large platters, storage, etc.). The empty strainer 50 may thenbe replaced so that it is ready to receive the next batch of cookedproduct. When processing batches of food in succession, the cookingchamber 46 and conditioning chamber 38 will both contain product at thesame time. To accommodate this, if the length of time the food is in thecooking chamber 46 is shorter than the time that the food is in theconditioning chamber 38, the operator may either (1) space the input offood into the cooking chamber 46 so that the conditioning chamber 38 istimed to be empty when the food is due to be transferred from thecooking chamber 46 to the conditioning chamber 38 or (2) adjust thelength of time of each cycle so that the conditioning chamber 38 cycleis not longer than the cooking chamber 46 cycle.

The PLC may be any electronic control device as is known in theindustry. It should be capable of reading electrical signals from avariety of sensors, such as pressure switches, position sensors andthermocouples. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, thePLC is capable of interacting with a touch screen 70 to allow anoperator to command the PLC to initiate and perform a cooking sequence.The PLC takes input from such sensors, performs a logic sequence, andgenerates a series of outputs. These outputs take the form of a displayon the touch screen 70 that provides information to the operator. Theoutputs also include the electrical signals that operate the valves,heaters and motors that are required to execute the cook sequence.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the PLC is equippedwith modem capacity. This permits remote monitoring of the functions ofthe invention. The monitoring can be used for billing, inventorycontrol, and diagnostic purposes.

The present invention has a cleaning cycle in which high temperaturewater is passed through the apparatus. During this cycle, valve 23 isopened to allow hot water to flow through the swirl inlet line 56. Thiswater is directed to swirl ring 55. The slots 104 in the swirl ring 55are oriented to direct cleaning water tangentially along the inner wallof the cooking chamber 46. The high velocity and the centrifugal forceof the swirling water on the inside of the cooking chamber 46 enhancethe action of the cleaning water. Further, the high temperaturepressurized water that is used to wash the apparatus is hot enough tokill bacteria, either in liquid or vapor form. This is a significantimprovement over the cleaning methods that are known in the art.

The drain line is also regularly cleaned to prevent bacteria build-up.The vent lines that transport high temperature fluid and steam arerouted to the drain fitting on the drip tray 52. This ensures that thedrain line is purged with steam every cooking cycle.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-section of a cooking stack according to anembodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment of theinvention, the cooking chamber 46 is located above the conditioningchamber 38. While the cooking chamber 46 shown is primarily tubular andthe conditioning chamber 38 has a bulbous shape, it should be understoodthat these aspects of the present invention may take any shape that isappropriate for the cooking of food as taught by the present invention.

As may be seen in FIG. 5, food may be provided to the cooking chamber 46through funnel 34. This funnel may be covered by a top plate 33 toprevent unwanted materials from dropping into the funnel and,consequently, into the cooking chamber 46. Towards the bottom of thefunnel 34, there is a sliding door 35 that may be opened when it isdesired to add food to the cooking chamber 46 at an appropriate point inthe cooking cycle. Such opening may be performed by a sliding dooractuator 42. The funnel 34 is mounted on the apparatus at the mountingplate 43. Upper ball valve 21 is located below the mounting plate 43.Upper ball valve 21 may be opened by any means as is known in the art,such as upper actuator crank 63. Upper ball valve motor 71 may be usedto open upper ball valve 21. Below the upper ball valve 21, the sealplate 44 and cooking chamber o-ring 54, which provide a seal between theball valve 21 and the cooking chamber 46, may be seen. Swirl inlet line56, which provides pressurized, heated water, and swirl flange 45 mayalso be seen in this view of the present invention.

Cooking chamber inlet line 57, through which heated, pressurized watermay enter the cooking chamber 46, is also shown in the view of FIG. 5.The cooking chamber inlet line 57 is preferably located towards thebottom of the cooking chamber 46 to allow the heated, pressurized waterto enter the cooking chamber 46 without subjecting the food to be cookedto unnecessary forces. A cooking chamber lower flange 47 is also locatedtowards the bottom of the cooking chamber. A lower ball valve, throughwhich food and heated water may flow into the conditioning chamber 38,is located below lower flange 47. Lower ball valve 21 may be opened byany means as is known in the art, such as lower actuator crank 64. Lowerball valve 21 is also equipped with ball valve stam 78 and a lower ballvalve motor 72, which may be used to open lower ball valve 21.

The conditioning chamber 38 has an upper flange 48 and a lower flange49. There is a cold water inlet line 58 to allow cool water to enter theconditioning chamber 38, and a hot water inlet line 53 to allow heatedwater from the boiler 10 to enter the conditioning chamber. Hot waterinlet line 53 is preferably located towards the bottom of conditioningchamber 38 so that the addition of heated, pressurized water may be usedto agitate or stir the cooking food.

As further shown in FIG. 5, in one embodiment of the invention there maybe a slide valve assembly 80 coupled to the lower flange 49 that may beopened when it is desired to remove the cooked food from theconditioning chamber. Such slide valve assembly 80 may include a slidingdoor o-ring 65 to provide an adequate seal between the conditioningchamber 38 and the sliding door plate 73. The sliding door plate 73 maybe supported and guided by a sliding door plate support 74. The slidingdoor plate 73 may also be supplied with sliding door rails 66 alongwhich it may slide. A wheel 68 may rotate about an axle 77 to facilitateand guide the movement of the sliding door plate 73. The slide valveassembly 80 may also have a sliding door plate activator 81 to and asliding door activator bracket 75, which served to link the sliding doorplate activator 81 to the apparatus. The actuator 81 may pivot around alead screw 69 at pivot 76. The sliding door plate 73 may be moved intoeither an open position or a closed position by the turning of the leadscrew 69. The sliding door actuator 81, which controls the turning ofthe lead screw 69 may be manually manipulated to open the slide platedoor. Alternatively, the PLC may be programmed to open the sliding doorplate 73 when the food has spent sufficient time in the conditioningchamber 38. There may also be what will be referred to as a cam track67, which is a track along which those portions of the present inventionthat are joined to the sliding door plate 73 may move.

While a detailed description of a slide valve assembly 80 has beenprovided, it should be understood that any configuration that wouldallow for a controllable opening at the bottom of the conditioningchamber is within the scope of this disclosure.

As noted above, a preferred embodiment of the present invention has acooking stack that is primarily vertical. That is, the cooking chamber46 is arranged so that it is located substantially above theconditioning chamber 38. While a large set-up may be suitable in somesettings, it may be preferable to limit the height of the presentinvention so that it is appropriately sized for a larger number ofspaces. To this end, it may be preferable to limit the height of thecooking chamber so that it is suitable for cooking food that is nolonger than 7.5 inches in length.

While the materials of the present invention may be made from anyreasonable material as is known in the art, it is preferable that theportions of the present invention that contact food are preferably madefrom stainless steel. The stainless steel has a tendency to shed foodbuild up after a thorough rinse with water, such as the manner describedabove.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for cooking of foods, comprising acooking chamber having a top portion and a bottom portion; aconditioning chamber having a top portion and a bottom portion, andfurther wherein the conditioning chamber is located below and in flowcommunication with the cooking chamber; a first port in flowablecommunication with the top portion of the cooking chamber forintroducing food products into the cooking chamber; a second valve inflowable communication with the cooking chamber and the conditioningchamber, wherein water and food products flow through the second valvefrom the cooking chamber to the conditioning chamber, and furtherwherein the second valve, the cooking chamber and the conditioningchamber are positioned in a manner such that gravity moves the water andfood products from the cooking chamber to the conditioning chamber; awater boiler having means for monitoring the condition of the water inthe boiler; a heater joined to the water boiler, for heating the waterin the boiler; a pressure relief valve joined to the cooking chamber,for selectively releasing the pressure therein; a conduit in flowcommunication between the water boiler and the cooking chamber, fordirecting heated water into the cooking chamber; a means for directingwater to the water boiler; a second conduit in flow communicationbetween the water boiler and the conditioning chamber, for directingwater from the water boiler to the conditioning chamber; and an outletlocated adjacent the bottom of the conditioning chamber, for selectivelydispensing cooked food and water.
 2. The apparatus as in claim 1,wherein the cooking chamber and conditioning chamber are in verticalalignment.
 3. An apparatus for cooking of foods, comprising a cookingchamber having a top portion and a bottom portion; a conditioningchamber having a top portion and a bottom portion, and further whereinthe conditioning chamber is located below and in flow communication withthe cooking chamber; a first port in flowable communication with the topportion of the cooking chamber for introducing food products into thecooking chamber; a second valve in flowable communication with thecooking chamber and the conditioning chamber, wherein water and foodproducts flow through the second valve from the cooking chamber to theconditioning chamber, and further wherein the second valve, the cookingchamber and the conditioning chamber are positioned in a manner suchthat gravity moves the water and food products from the cooking chamberto the conditioning chamber; a water boiler having means for monitoringthe condition of the water in the boiler; a heater joined to the waterboiler, for heating the water in the boiler; a pressure relief valvejoined to the cooking chamber, for selectively releasing the pressuretherein; a conduit in flow communication between the water boiler andthe cooking chamber, for directing heated water into the cookingchamber; a means for directing water to the water boiler; a secondconduit in flow communication between the water boiler and theconditioning chamber, for directing water from the water boiler to theconditioning chamber; and an outlet located adjacent the bottom of theconditioning chamber, for selectively dispensing cooked food and water aswirl flange having a plurality of grooves surrounding an open center,wherein the swirl flange is joined to the top portion of the cookingchamber; a swirl ring having a plurality of slots, wherein the swirlring is placed so that it is adjacent to the grooves of the swirlflange; an o-ring located above the swirl ring and the swirl flange,wherein the o-ring provides a seal; a seal plate removeably locatedabove the swirl flange, wherein the seal plate serves to hold the o-ringand the swirl ring in position.
 4. The apparatus as in claim 3, whereinthe cooking chamber and conditioning chamber are in vertical alignment.5. The apparatus as in claim 3, wherein the boiler, cooking chamber andconditioning chamber are generally contained within a housing.